New Jersey Voters To Decide Sports Betting Referendum

NEWS & VIEWS

The non-binding referendum is seen as a first step in challenging a federal sports betting ban

By Mike Pritchard

Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Nov. 4, 2011

Some would call it a long shot, though supporters look at it as more of a first step, but New Jersey voters will be asked in a non-bonding referendum Election Day, (Tuesday, Nov. 8) to approve sports betting in the state.

And while there are still federal laws against sports betting in all but four states (Nevada, Oregon, Delaware and Montana), the referendum picked up a big supporter this week in Governor Chris Christie.

At an appearance Wednesday, Christie recounted a conversation he had at Sunday’s New York Giants game with a fellow fan.

As The Associated Press reported, after the Giants beat the Miami Dolphins at the Meadowlands, he turned to the fan next to him.

I said to him, `Great game!' and he said, `But the Giants didn't cover, and it blew my parlay.'"

Considering that Christie is both the Governor and a former prosecutor, you have to think the guy was taking a chance. Or, it shows just how commonplace sports betting has become.

Christie saw it as the latter.

"I'll be voting yes," Christie said of the referendum. "Gaming is surrounding us everywhere.

"I don't think any of us are under the illusion that betting isn't going on underground, so let's get it out from underground," Christie added. "The fact now is, gaming is everywhere in many states across the country."

Most polls show that the majority of New Jersey residents are in favor of sports betting, some by a 2 to 1 margin.

But the federal ban remains in place. Still, many are looking to sports betting as part of the answer to help both revitalize Atlantic City and the state’s horse-racing industry.

State Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, has led the charge in the state to try and overturn the federal ban (and also to bring online gambling to the state), saying it discriminates against the 46 states where it is not allowed, a position that Christie echoed Wednesday.

The referendum would legalize betting at casinos, racetracks and former racetrack sites, but prohibit wagering on college sports played in New Jersey or betting on any New Jersey college teams wherever they play.

Lesniak sought to bring a lawsuit to challenge the federal ban last year, but Christie did not support the move. U.S. District Judge Garrett Brown dismissed the lawsuit noting that the state itself was not part of the suit.

But, according to a report in the Newark Star Ledger, Christie says the state is taking the appropriate route with the referendum first, followed by legislation and then a new lawsuit to overturn the federal ban on behalf of the state.

If the measure is approved Christie said he would meet with Lesniak.

Lesniak told the newspaper that he expects the referendum to pass, though he acknowledged there hasn’t been much of a push to get voters out on this issue.

"It’s just a first step," Lesniak said. "It will enable us to go into court and challenge the constitutionality of the ban."

The federal ban was first imposed in 1992, but a loophole allowed state’s that already had forms of sports betting on their books, or casino gaming for at least 10 years (which some say was put in specifically for Atlantic City) time to approve sports betting before the ban went into effect.

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